Six months after 6-year-old Lilly Sullivan and 4-year-old Jack Sullivan disappeared from their rural Nova Scotia home, a lingering rumor refuses to die: Was the stepfather’s brother secretly living on the property?

The question has fueled online speculation, true-crime forums, and heated community debates since the children were reported missing on May 2, 2025. But after exhaustive reporting, RCMP statements, and court records, the answer is clear: No. There is no evidence Daniel Martell’s brother lived on the Gairloch Road property.

Here’s what is confirmed.

The isolated 10-acre property in Lansdowne Station, Pictou County, was home to a small, tightly knit—and deeply troubled—household:

Malehya Brooks-Murray, 28, the children’s biological mother
Daniel Martell, 31, her fiancé and the children’s stepfather
Lilly Sullivan, 6
Jack Sullivan, 4
The couple’s 1-year-old daughter
Janie MacKenzie, 54, Daniel’s mother, living in a camper trailer in the backyard

That’s it. No uncles. No cousins. No secret brothers.

But the rumor didn’t come from thin air.

In the chaotic first 48 hours after the disappearance, Justin Martell—Daniel’s younger brother—was photographed at the search command post, standing solemnly beside Daniel as volunteers combed the woods. Local media captured the image: two bearded men in hoodies, arms crossed, staring into the distance.

To the untrained eye, it looked like family support. To online sleuths, it looked like a cover-up.

“Daniel’s brother was there the whole time,” one viral X post claimed. “Why isn’t he being questioned? Was he living in the barn?”

The truth? Justin Martell, 29, drove in from New Brunswick the morning after the children were reported missing. He stayed for three days—sleeping in his truck, helping with search grids, and speaking to no one but family. RCMP confirmed he was never a resident and left the province on May 5.

But the damage was done.

Reddit threads exploded. TikTok “investigators” zoomed in on drone footage of the property, circling a rusty shed and claiming it was a “hidden living space.” One video, viewed 2.1 million times, falsely labeled it “Uncle’s Secret Cabin.”

Even local gossip took root. “I heard there were three men living out back,” a Lansdowne Station resident told CTV News in June. “Trailer, shed, and the house. Everyone knew.”

Everyone was wrong.

Property records, utility bills, and satellite imagery reviewed by The Post show only two structures with heat and power: the main house and Janie MacKenzie’s 30-foot camper. The shed? It’s a collapsed shell—roof caved in, no door, used for scrap wood.

Daniel Martell does have another brother, Darren Martell, 35, with a lengthy criminal record including drug trafficking and assault. But Darren hasn’t been seen in Pictou County in over a decade. He’s currently incarcerated in Dorchester Penitentiary, serving a six-year sentence. RCMP confirmed he had zero contact with the property.

So where did the “brother on the property” myth come from?

Blame the fog of crisis—and human nature.

In the first week, over 400 volunteers descended on the Sullivan land. Tempers flared. Rumors flew. One searcher claimed to have seen “a man in the woods” who “didn’t belong.” Another swore they heard a second male voice inside the house during a wellness check.

Add in the family’s reclusive reputation—Daniel and Malehya rarely left the property, homeschooled the kids, and avoided neighbors—and suspicion grew like mold.

Then came the RCMP’s bombshell in July: Daniel Martell was arrested and charged with two counts of child abandonment after admitting he left Lilly and Jack alone in the woods as “punishment” for misbehaving. He claimed they “wandered off.” Search dogs later found the children’s scent trail ending at a swamp 800 meters from the house.

Malehya was charged with failure to provide necessaries of life. Both remain in custody. The 1-year-old is with social services.

But the case took another twist last month.

On October 18, human remains were found in a burn pit behind the camper. Forensic testing is ongoing, but sources say the bones are too small to be adult—and consistent with a child’s size.

The RCMP has not confirmed identity. But the discovery has reignited scrutiny of everyone who ever set foot on that land.

Including the brothers who never lived there.

Justin Martell now refuses interviews. Darren remains behind bars. And Daniel—once cooperative—has stopped speaking to police altogether.

Meanwhile, the $150,000 reward for information leading to Lilly and Jack stands unclaimed.

Neighbors say the property is abandoned now. The camper sits dark. The house is boarded up. Wind rattles the tin roof of the shed that never housed a soul.

But on quiet nights, some swear they still hear children’s laughter in the trees.

Or maybe it’s just the wind.

One thing is certain: In the absence of truth, rumors fill the void. And in Lansdowne Station, the void is deep.

The search for Lilly and Jack Sullivan continues. Anyone with information is urged to call the RCMP tipline at 1-888-710-1303.

Because until those children are found—alive or not—the questions will never stop.

And neither will the whispers.